Municipalities across Japan are rushing to secure ‘cooling shelters’ for people to use when there is a high risk of heat stroke.
Operators of designated facilities, such as community centers and supermarkets, will be asked to open them for use by people wanting to escape the heat when a special heatstroke warning is issued under a new warning system recently introduced.
The city of Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, which recorded a temperature of 41.1 degrees Celsius in August 2018, the highest in the country since measurements began, sets up temporary rest areas in the summer called “machine oasis” at facilities such as the city office and community centers.
